The Simplicity of Digital Cameras

There are many people who insist that digital cameras are not as good as film cameras. I agree with them. They are not just as good, they’re much better.

If you had a compact, point and shoot film camera, I’m sure you’ll remember the days when you picked up your prints from the lab after paying about $25 for processing only to find maybe one or two worthwhile images.Your camera had a simplistic light sensor to control exposure which performed properly sometimes. The main problem was that you wouldn’t know your exposures were off until the day you picked up your photos from the lab.

Usually you had a roll of film in your camera from one Christmas to another. You shot pictures inside your house, outdoors, in a hockey arena, etc. all on the same roll. With a different color balance in each location, some prints came out okay, some came out yellow-orange and the fluorescent lighting produced a green cast over your photographs. You could have changed the film from daylight to tungsten color balance but it was too much trouble and you usually didn’t plan ahead of time to be in that location so you didn’t bring a film choice.

Compare that scenario to the digital cameras of today. Among the simple point and shoot cameras that are available are models that can be taken underwater without an additional protective case; some have long zoom lenses; all have image stabilization to combat camera shake; most have several modes of focus from face detection to single point focus and automatic exposure, white balance and ISO controlled by a sophisticated computer processor onboard the camera. They’re usually small enough to fit in your pocket but will still generate image files large enough to make a print up to 16x20 inches or even larger.

If you are looking for a point and shoot camera with the option of adjusting all the parameters such as exposure, focus point, ISO, my favorite is the Canon G11 which was just shipped to the stores. You can shoot in a totally automatic mode and let the computer processor control the exposure. One of the great features this camera has is the exposure compensation dial so that you can tweak the exposure when you encounter difficult lighting situations. As you adjust this dial, you see the effect right on the LCD screen. This feature works on all modes other than Automatic. Another feature that this camera sports is an optical viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen. Just like the cameras of years gone by. Canon is the only manufacturer left that offers a range of cameras that give you an optical viewfinder. This camera is perfect for anyone looking for a compact camera with the ability to shoot in Automatic or totally manual, have macro capabilities, a five-times zoom lens, offers files in either jpeg or raw or both and has great low light capabilities. For anyone who is looking for a superior camera to meet their varied needs for several years to come, the Canon G11 is a true winner.